Your Data Is Solid.
Is Your Argument Landing?
Dr. George David Gopen’s Reader Expectation Approach (REA) writing workshops for research institutions teach scientists, researchers, and faculty to write in a way that reviewers can follow clearly — and fund confidently. A case study of six research universities trained in REA documented a combined increase of $3.4 billion in grant funding following investment in REA training.
Why Reader Expectation Training Outperforms Traditional Writing Workshops
Instead of tips and tricks for writing and grammar rules, REA is a framework consistent with research in cognitive psychology and psycholinguistics that addresses the gap between what a researcher intends to communicate and what a reviewer actually perceives. Most writing programs for research institutions focus on format, grammar, and discipline-specific conventions. REA addresses structure — specifically, the relationship between where information is placed in a sentence and how readers interpret it. When that relationship is managed well, complex science lands. When it isn’t, even strong proposals fail on grounds that have nothing to do with the quality of the research.
“Reader Expectations: Why 97% of Scientific Writing Fails” — Read George’s essay→
The Writing Gap Facing Research Institutions
The challenge facing most research institutions is not a shortage of scientific expertise. It is a gap between what researchers intend to communicate and what their readers actually perceive.
A theory that cannot be communicated clearly cannot be evaluated. A paper whose argument is buried in its own prose will not be read as intended. A grant proposal that fails to deliver its ideas to reviewers cannot compete — regardless of the quality of the science behind it.
Poor scientific writing is not a matter of grammatical errors or imprecise word choice. It is writing that fails to transfer the writer’s intended meaning into the reader’s mind. The source of this problem is structural. Readers of English take their interpretive cues primarily from where information appears within a sentence. When key information is placed where readers do not expect to find it, confusion follows — even in prose that is technically accurate.
Most writing seminars for research institutions focus on formats, tips, and grammar rules that do nothing to increase the chances for reader comprehension. REA addresses the structural cause directly.
In 2022, Lorelei Lingard, Director of the Centre for Education Research & Innovation at Western University, published a paper in Perspectives on Medical Education applying REA principles arguing that reader expectation theory is central to achieving clarity and flow in academic medical writing. Read the study→
Scientific Writing Workshops Built for Research Institutions
In a scientific marketplace where fewer than 20% of proposals are funded in any given funding period, no institution can afford writing that fails to deliver its science clearly. When researchers’ ideas reach reviewers clearly and efficiently, their applications stand out from the sea of poorly written submissions with which they compete.
REA scientific writing training workshops and e-learning series serve research institutions across three core writing activities:
- Theory development — writing that organizes and clarifies thinking at the point of composition, helping researchers develop their ideas as they write.
- Publication — papers whose arguments remain intact from first draft to final submission, written in a way reviewers can follow without struggle.
- Grant funding — proposals that deliver their science to reviewers clearly and confidently, producing measurable increases in funding success.
A 2011 study from Duke University’s Department of Biology and Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, published in CBE–Life Sciences Education, found that explicitly teaching REA principles produced measurable improvements in undergraduate thesis writing quality across the department — benefiting not only students in the course but faculty mentors working with student writers throughout the institution.
Read the study →
Case Study: Indiana University School of Medicine
Before REA training, Indiana University ranked 40th in grant application success among research universities nationally. After a sustained investment in REA writing workshops, they moved to 14th place among public medical schools and 27th overall in NIH funding. Indiana’s research awards remained above $200 million from 2019 onward. In 2022, they were awarded a record $217 million.
Indiana University is one of six research universities whose combined funding increases following REA training reached $3.4 billion.
A 2012 study published in Journal of Faculty Development by six Indiana University School of Medicine faculty researchers found that an REA-based faculty writing program produced significant improvements in grant success rates among participating faculty.
Read the study →
“Scientific Writing From the Reader’s Perspective, taught by Professor George Gopen, is the single most highly rated faculty development program offered at Indiana University.”
— Stephen P. Bogdewic, PhD, MA Former Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Leadership Development at University of North Carolina and Executive Vice Dean Emeritus at Indiana University
“Your course, and the learnings from it that I have put into practice in every subsequent grant, have been transformative for my career so far.”
— Nandan Gokhale, PhD Assistant Professor, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Independent Research Corroborating REA
REA principles have been independently applied and validated by researchers across medicine, science, law, education, and engineering.
A 2020 multi-institution study published in Neuroscience Letters by researchers from five universities identified REA as a best practice for teaching scientific writing at the undergraduate level in neuroscience, recommending it as one of the most effective frameworks available for developing writing in STEM students. Read the study →
Research Institutions Trained in REA
REA writing workshops have served research universities, medical schools, national laboratories, government scientific agencies, and international research hospitals. Institutions that have invested in REA training include:
“George gave me my life, my career, my future. He gave me my dreams. I owe him everything.”
— Victoria Seewaldt, MD — Ruth Ziegler Chair in Population Sciences, City of Hope Cancer Center, Advisor to the National Institutes of Health.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Reader Expectation Approach training differ from other scientific writing programs?
Most scientific writing programs teach format, grammar, and discipline conventions. Reader expectation Approach training teaches writers how to fulfill structural reader expectations — specifically, the relationship between where information is placed in a sentence and how readers interpret it. The result is writing that communicates on the first read, without requiring reviewers to work to extract the science.
Does REA training improve grant funding success rates?
Yes, and the results are documented. A case study of six research universities trained in REA found a combined increase of $3.4 billion in grant funding. Indiana University’s experience — moving from 40th to 14th place among public medical schools in NIH funding following sustained REA investment — is one of the most thoroughly documented cases.
Is REA training appropriate for non-native English speakers?
Yes. REA is particularly effective for international researchers writing in English as a second language. Because it makes the structural conventions of English explicit, it gives non-native speakers a learnable system rather than asking them to internalize intuitions they may never develop naturally.
What formats are available for research institutions?
Instructor-led seminars in eight, twelve, and sixteen-hour blocks are available for beginning, intermediate, and advanced applications and theory. Intensive three-person workshops can be delivered in two-and-a-half-hour blocks following the beginning seminar attendance. Self-paced e-learning modules are offered for those requiring remote learning.
How do we schedule a writing workshop for our institution?
The first step is to complete a request form to schedule your complimentary 20-minute discovery call.
Funding is more competitive than ever.
Can you really afford to be misunderstood?
Reader expectation Approach training gives researchers a framework they can apply to every paper, proposal, and report they write. By making structural reader expectations visible to individual writers, this training helps research institutions produce writing that reviewers can follow clearly — and fund confidently.
Schedule a brief discovery call to explore which combination of seminar, workshop, and e-learning would best serve your institution’s goals and timeline.